Desolation Wilderness near Lake Aloha in mid-May

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RGTPSB
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Desolation Wilderness near Lake Aloha in mid-May

Post by RGTPSB »

Hi all,

I am considering a trip in Desolation Wilderness in early to mid May of this year. We will start at the Echo Lake trailhead, take the trails past Lake of the Woods, and then start going x-c around the southern/western edge of Lake Aloha, ending up at the granite slabs across the lake from Mosquito Pass. The plan is to camp there for two nights. That will leave one day for a day trip; we will perhaps go south to Pyramid Lake and try to ascend to Pyramid Peak.

Could anyone comment on what the expected weather conditions will be? I.e. will any particular equipment be required to deal with snow? Any general comments or suggestions for other excursions around that area would also be appreciated.

Another idea is to navigate around the northern edge of Lake Aloha, but I am not sure how that scramble will look like in early season conditions.
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neil d
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Re: Desolation Wilderness near Lake Aloha in mid-May

Post by neil d »

You're definitely gonna have snow, even in this below-average snow year. You are traversing the WEST side of Aloha? That sounds like a dicey proposition to me...steep, irregular slopes on east-facing aspect. But maybe I'm remembering that wrong. Ditto for Pyramid Peak from Pyramid Lake, that approach will hold a lot of snow.

I'll let the experts chime in on safe snow travel on steep and exposed terrain, that's beyond my expertise. At the least you will need snowshoes and probably have a lot of that PITA on-again, off-again action depending on location. Have a fun trip!
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Re: Desolation Wilderness near Lake Aloha in mid-May

Post by maiathebee »

I live in Tahoe. You'll have snow. It's a little early to say how much for sure, it's snowing here right now and the forecast has late April looking wet as well, but if it warms up fast (which it has been up til now), it could melt fast.

Past Lake of the Woods you'll be on snow through the forest. You'll probably find dry granite along Aloha's shore though.

In 2014 on May 23-25 I went from Glen Alpine (the back edge of Fallen Leaf) with Aloha as the destination. 2014 was a lower snow year than this year for the Tahoe area. Our group had some first timers and we got stopped by snow at Heather Lake. You can see the Crystal Range and Pyramid in the background of these photos

ImageHeather Lake has some ice on it. The peaks of the Crystal Range behind are still blanketed in snow. by Maia Averett, on Flickr

If you are planning to climb Pyramid, you'll need crampons, ice ax, mountaineering equipment, knowledge of mountaineering...

Snow between Susie and Heather on an aspect similar to the southwest shore of Aloha.

ImageSnowfields on the west shore of Susie by Maia Averett, on Flickr

In 2018 on June 2-3 I hiked from Echo to Aloha. Here's what the Crystal Range looked like on June 2, 2018
IMG_2773.jpg
The place where you say you want to camp is the slabby snowy area on the left.

Here's a chart that compares snowpack in the years I've mentioned, and this year.
getSWCGraphWidget1.png
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RGTPSB
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Re: Desolation Wilderness near Lake Aloha in mid-May

Post by RGTPSB »

@maiathebee - Thanks!
Maybe we will not climb Pyramid in that case.

Would you recommend snowshoes, as neil commented?
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Re: Desolation Wilderness near Lake Aloha in mid-May

Post by maiathebee »

RGTPSB wrote: Wed Apr 14, 2021 3:11 pm Would you recommend snowshoes, as neil commented?
Probably not worth the weight. Snowshoes are great for walking around meadows in February but for mixed travel, sun cups, consolidated snow, angled snowfields, they're not great. Better to plan your day so you travel on snow in mornings when it's firm, or be prepared for postholing. Definitely bring microspikes and trekking poles. Just be prepared to turn around if it's too annoying.
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Re: Desolation Wilderness near Lake Aloha in mid-May

Post by Wandering Daisy »

I would stay on the trail side of Lake Aloha and if you have time, instead of climbing Pyramid Peak, do a day-hike over Mosquito Pass to Clyde Lake. There was basically no snow June 5-6 2015, a very low snow year. A day hike down to Heather Lake is also very nice. The steep snowfield that covers the trail down would be easier with micro-spikes. And on your way in or out, there are some small lakes just above Echo Lakes a short distance off the trail (sorry I do not remember the names of those lakes) that are worth a visit.

I have tried to go around the other side (Pyramid Peak side) of Aloha Lake when it was mostly snow, and it was miserable. Very complex, lots of little steep slopes, lots of dangerous post-hole areas near the water. Very slow going.
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Re: Desolation Wilderness near Lake Aloha in mid-May

Post by SSSdave »

R >>>"...Could anyone comment on what the expected weather conditions will be? I.e. will any particular equipment be required to deal with snow?

Even during a droughty year, May trips anywhere in the Sierra above 8k like you are asking about is a snowy landscape trip and note it could definitely storm for days. For instance many of us have Memorial Day holiday storms stories. I just skied at Heavenly Thursday and above 8k there is way way too much snow still to melt except on south facing exposures. Change your Aloha plans to mid June.
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Re: Desolation Wilderness near Lake Aloha in mid-May

Post by tim »

I went in April 2015 which was an ultra-low snow year and found snow free camping on the peninsula on the southeast side of the lake. We didn’t have snowshoes or even micro spikes and had no problems. But I wouldn’t have wanted to try climbing Pyramid Peak without proper gear.

Here’s my trip report. http://highsierratopix.com/community/vi ... =1&t=12607
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Re: Desolation Wilderness near Lake Aloha in mid-May

Post by RGTPSB »

Hi all,

It looks like the snowpack has been very consistently melting (https://cdec.water.ca.gov/reportapp/jav ... e=PLOT_SWC). Now that my trip is just a week away, I"m almost thinking that it looks like microspikes will not be necessary if we're just walking alongside Aloha's edge. Anyone have recent experience at Desolation who can comment?
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Re: Desolation Wilderness near Lake Aloha in mid-May

Post by paul »

While I don't have recent experience at Desolation, I have been in there many times, both on foot in May and on skis in March and April of various years. If you don't try to go anywhere early in the morning, and don't plan to try Pyramid Peak, you probably would not need microspikes. The one possible exception is the bit of trail that runs above Lake Margery if you go that way, as that is northeast facing and holds snow later than anywhere around, and is a steep sidehill as well. Should be soft by the time you get there, though. If you go via Lake of the Woods, whatever snow you hit should be soft
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